Sümela Monastery, Trabzon, Turkey

SUMELA MONASTRY, originally uploaded by MAKROWER.

The Sümela Monastery (Turkish: Sümela Manastırı), Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Σουμελά, i.e. monastery of the Panaghia ("All Holy", the Greek name for the Virgin Mary) at Melá mountain) is a Greek Orthodox monastery, standing at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altındere valley, in the region of Maçka in Trabzon Province, modern Turkey. Lying at an altitude of approximately 1200 metres, it is a major tourist attraction of Altındere National Park.

Foggy sunrise in Dubai, UAE

Foggy sunrise in Dubai #1, originally uploaded by momentaryawe.com.

Dubai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. Many modern interpretations of Islamic architecture can be found here, due to a boom in construction and architectural innovation in the Arab World in general, and in Dubai in particular, supported not only by top Arab or international architectural and engineering design firms such as Al Hashemi and Aedas, but also by top firms of New York and Chicago.[96] As a result of this boom, modern Islamic – and world – architecture has literally been taken to new levels in skyscraper building design and technology. Dubai now boasts more completed or topped-out skyscrapers higher than 2/3 km, 1/3 km, or 1/4 km than any other city. A culmination point was reached in 2010 with the completion of the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower), now by far the world's tallest building at 828 m (2,717 ft). The Burj Khalifa's design is derived from the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture, with the triple-lobed footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the desert flower hymenocallis which is native to the Dubai region. The completion of the Khalifa Tower, following the construction boom that began in the 1980s, accelerated in the 1990s, and took on a rapid pace of construction unparalled in modern human history during the decade of the 2000s, leaving Dubai with the world's tallest skyline as of 4 January 2010

Hopper Gilgit Pakistan

Rush Lake 4694m.., originally uploaded by M Atif Saeed.

Rush Lake 4694m..

The Hunza-Nagar Valley, the Hunza-Nagar District, is the seventh district of Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. The district comprises Hunza and Nagar. Sikandarabad is the administrative center of this district. Before the announcement of new district, Hunza-Nagar was part of district Gilgit.

Pagoda of Yasaka in Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

Morning light, originally uploaded by kamomebird.

Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社, Yasaka Jinja), also known as Gion Shrine, is one of the most famous shrines in Kyoto. Founded over 1350 years ago, the shrine is located between the popular Gion District and Higashiyama District, and is often visited by tourists walking between the two districts.

The shrine's main hall combines the honden (inner sanctuary) and haiden (offering hall) into a single building. In front of it stands a dance stage with hundreds of lanterns that get lit in the evenings. Each lantern bears the name of a local business in return for a donation.

Yasaka Shrine is well known for its summer festival, the Gion Matsuri, which is celebrated every July. Arguably the most famous festival in the whole country, the Gion Matsuri dates back over a thousand years and involves a procession with massive floats and hundreds of participants. The shrine also becomes busy during the cherry blossom season around early April, as the adjacent Maruyama Park is one of the most famous cherry blossom spots in Kyoto.

Badshahi Masjid, Lahore, Pakistan

The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu: بادشاھی مسجد) or the 'King's Mosque' in Lahore, commissioned by the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671 and completed in 1673, is the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world. Epitomising the beauty, passion and grandeur of the Mughal era, it is Lahore's most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction.

Capable of accommodating 5,000 worshippers in its main prayer hall and a further 95,000 in its courtyard and porticoes, it remained the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986 (a period of 313 years), when overtaken in size by the completion of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Today, it remains the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.

To appreciate its large size, the four minarets of the Badshahi Mosque are 13.9 ft (4.2 m) taller than those of the Taj Mahal and the main platform of the Taj Mahal can fit inside the 278,784 sq ft (25,899.9 m²) courtyard of the Badshahi Mosque, which is the largest mosque courtyard in the world.

In 1993, the Government of Pakistan recommended the inclusion of the Badshahi Mosque as a World Heritage Site in UNESCO's World Heritage List, where it has been included in Pakistan's Tentative List for possible nomination to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Phuket beaches, Thailand

'Love from Phuket'. Phuket Beaches Thailand [2 Min Revamp] from Jrbazil on Vimeo.

Phuket Beaches: Rawai, Laem Sing, Kata, Karon, Tri Trang, & Paradise Beach.

Phuket ( /puːˈkɛt/; Thai: ภูเก็ต [pʰūː.kèt]), formerly known as Thalang (Tha-Laang) and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, i.e. "Cape Salang"), is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island it has no land boundaries.

Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges. It is situated off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism.

Inspired by Philip Bloom's 'Love from Southend' Which is my home town. http://vimeo.com/1025907
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Hong Kong - Best skyline ever

Hong Kong-Best skyline ever, originally uploaded by alessandro silipo.

Today Hong Kong Harbour, or Victoria Harbour as it is properly known, is all but retired as a maritime motorway but it does remain one of Hong Kong’s major tourist attractions. Squeezed between the mountains of Kowloon and the soaring skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, its shimmering waters, reflecting the neon skyscrapers that bank it, are one of Hong Kong’s most iconic images. Below are our five picks of the five locations to get the best angle on the harbour and, don't forget, each night at 8pm the harbour and skyscrapers are host to the spectacular Symphony of Lights show.

NEPAL

Nepal from lennart holterman on Vimeo.

i shot this with a sony cdr hc 96 in nepal around the Gokyo lakes. It's all handheld, so unfortunely it is not all 100% steady.

chinese and the people of China

EF - Live The Language - Beijing from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.
Commercial for EF Language Schools.

Directed by Gustav Johansson

D.O.P: Niklas Johansson
Typography: Albin Holmqvist

Produced at Camp David

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Iran it's beautiful

Travel Inside Iran from Flo14wer on Vimeo.

For me Iran is a beautiful, magical country, a monument for the grandor of human civilization. Iran is a place where dazzling architecture is set amid desolate expanses of desert or steppe; where snow-capped mountains plunge dramatically to a seacoast of steamy lushness; where nomads guide their flocks to seasonal pasturelands; where tombs, temples, castles, and mosques bespeak the richness of the Persian past. High and dry for the most part, the land is sectioned by great mountain ranges, dotted with venerable villages of mud and stone as well as modern cities, and has a cultural fabric woven of many different threads, Persian,Turkish, Kurdish, Baluchi, ...

Sarawak Culture, Borneo, Malaysia

Sarawak Culture, originally uploaded by Smatchmo.

Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state. It lies in East Malaysia and shares the island of Borneo with the eastern state of Sabah, the separate country of Brunei and the Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan.
The Sarawak Cultural Village is sandwiched between Holiday Inn Damai Lagoon and Holiday Inn Damai Beach Resort. Walking from these two resorts is possible. From Kuching, the journey takes about 45 minutes through the spectacular peninsula of Santubong at which Damai seaside resorts are located. Taxi hire from downtown Kuching is possible but it can cost you a lot. Then there is a question of getting a taxi back to Kuching after you have finished visiting all the attractions the village. There will be an exorbitant surcharge should you require the taxi driver to wait for your return trip.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Tanah Lot Temple, Indonesia, Bali

Tanah Lot Temple, originally uploaded by tropicaLiving.

Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home of a pilgrimage temple, the Pura Tanah Lot (literally "Tanah Lot temple") and a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography and general exoticism.
Pura Tanah Lot (Tanah Lot Temple) is Hindu Temple.
Located about 20 km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a huge offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.
Tanah Lot means "Land in the Middle of the Sea" (in Balinese language) is a famous rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali.

Note: It is a fantastic place to view beautiful dramatic sunsets. Every day at dusk, tourists throng the area to witness the magnificent silhouette of the temple against the glowing horizon.
more: @

Sunset at Fort Kochi, Kerala, India

Sunset at Fort Kochi, originally uploaded by Gulfu.

Kochi, formerly known as Cochin, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. Kochi or Cochin is popularly known as the Queen of Arabian Sea, also flaunts one of the finest natural harbours of the world, and was the centre of the world spice trade for many centuries. Old Kochi loosely refers to a group of islands which comprise Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, etc.
Today Kochi includes Ernakulam city, old parts of Kochi, Kumbalangi, and outlying islands. It is one of the principal tourist destinations of Kerala. The city derives its name from the Malayalam word Kochazhi meaning small lagoon.
more about attractions around and inf @ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tourist_attractions_in_Kochi

Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, U.A.E.

Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, originally uploaded by bedoika.

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب‎,"Tower of the Arabs", also known as "Arab Sail") is a hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the third tallest building in the world that is used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure to mimic the sail of a ship.
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-metre (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, but less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tonnes of steel.
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang North Korea, is 9 m (30 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, and the Rose Tower, also in Dubai, topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,093 ft), becoming the world's tallest hotel.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

People on the streets of Manila, Philippines

Streets of Manila, originally uploaded by wili_hybrid.

The city of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines and one of the 16 cities and a municipality that makes up the Manila metropolitan area, the National Capital Region of the Philippines, which is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. It is located on the eastern shores of Manila bay, on the western side of the island of Luzon. With a population of 1,660,714 Manila is the second most populous city in the Philippines behind only neighboring Quezon city. The city's inhabitants, however, inhabit an area of only 38.55 square kilometers, making Manila not only the most densely populated city in the Philippines but also the most densely populated city in the world.
The city is divided into six legislative districts and consists of sixteen geographical districts: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo. Within their precincts can be found areas of bustling commerce and some of the most historically and culturally significant iconic landmarks in the country as well as the seat of the executive branch of the government. It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. Manila is a major political, commercial, cosmopolitan, cultural, educational, religious, and transportation center of the Philippines.
Manila is bordered by several cities of the Manila metropolitan area: Navotas and Caloocan cities to the north, Quezon city to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong cities to the east, Makati city to the southeast, and Pasay city to the south.
The earliest written accounts of the city date back to the Spanish era which describe a native settlement already existing in the area when the Spanish first arrived. Manila eventually became the center of Spanish activity in the Far East and one end of the Manila–Acapulco galleon trade route leading to it being called the "Pearl of the Orient". Later it saw the arrival of the Americans who made contributions to the city's urban planning and development only to have most of those improvements lost in the devastation of World War II. Since then the city has been rebuilt.
Manila has been a popular tourist attraction which attracted over 1 million tourist annually. Most well-known landmarks in the Manila metropolitan area lies within the city such as the Rizal Park and the Manila Ocean Park. Historical structures such as the Fort Santiago lies within Intramuros, one of Manila's popular tourist attractions.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Pudong, Sanghaim China

Pudong, originally uploaded by Benjamin Rosamond.

Pudong (simplified Chinese: 浦东; traditional Chinese: 浦東; pinyin: Pǔdōng), officially known as Pudong New Area (simplified Chinese: 浦东新区; traditional Chinese: 浦東新區; pinyin: Pǔdōng Xīn Qū), is a district of Shanghai, China that enjoys sub-provincial administrative status. It is named "Pudong" because of its location on the east side of the Huangpu river, on the opposite of Puxi, the west side. After its merger with Nanhui District (now defunct) in May 2009, the Pudong New Area comprises the majority of land in eastern Shanghai.
Since the beginning of its development in 1990 when plans were first announced, Pudong has become a New Open Economic Development Zone, and has emerged as China's financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and a skyline that includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the under-construction Shanghai Tower, reflective of Shanghai and China's rapid economic development.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Oman - Bayt Al Safah

Oman - Bayt Al Safah - 18-03-2010 - 13h02, originally uploaded by Panoramas.

A vast gravel desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountain ranges along the north (Al Hajar Mountains) and southeast coast, where the country's main cities are also located: the capital city Muscat, Sohar and Sur in the north, and Salalah in the south.


Coast of Sur, Oman.
Oman's climate is hot and dry in the interior and humid along the coast. During past epochs Oman was covered by ocean. Fossilized shells exist in great numbers in areas of the desert away from the modern coastline.
The peninsula of Musandam (Musandem), which has a strategic location on the Strait of Hormuz, is separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates and is thus an exclave. The series of small towns known collectively as Dibba are the gateway to the Musandam peninsula on land and the fishing villages of Musandam by sea. Boats may be hired at Khasab for trips into the Musandam peninsula by sea.
Oman has another exclave, inside UAE territory, known as Madha. It is located halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman. Belonging to Musandam governorate, it covers approximately 75 km2 (29 sq mi). The boundary was settled in 1969. The north-east corner of Madha is closest to the Fujairah road, barely 10 m (32.8 ft) away. Within the exclave is a UAE enclave called Nahwa, belonging to the Emirate of Sharjah. It is about 8 km (5 mi) on a dirt track west of the town of New Madha. It consists of about forty houses with its own clinic and telephone exchange.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Cyprus a place to discover

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Oman - Mausolée de Bin Ali

Oman - Mausolée de Bin Ali - 16-03-2010 - 17h53, originally uploaded by Panoramas.

Oman’s unique story reveals examples of great moral strength, courage, heroism, maritime skills, scholarship and hard work that have together moulded the Sultanate into its present form. By drawing our attention to the noble efforts of distinguished Omanis, historians have provided us with a deeper understanding of the great wealth of human experience that is at the foundation of modern Oman.

An understanding of Oman’s place at the heart of the Middle East and its relationship with neighbouring countries is central to understanding the international position of Oman today as well as its internal dynamics.

Oman occupies the far south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, its geographical boundaries clearly defined by nature from earliest times.

The earliest Stone Age settlement discovered in Oman is in the Wattaya district and dates back more than 10,000 years.

Babylon and Assyria were among the first empires to control the Asian land trade from the Arabian Gulf to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Later the Persian Empire expanded to gain influence over a vast area and control the region’s trade.

The rule of the Imams in Oman began in the eighth century C.E. Ibn Masoud was elected as the first imam in 751 and his reign lasted for four centuries until 1154. The Oman of the Imams was in the Nabhan period between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries AD; attempts to revive the Imamate in Oman were renewed in the fifteenth century but these attempts failed.

Between 1498 to 1507, after Portugal had occupied the trading ports of East Africa along with Aden, the Portuguese stranglehold, which lasted for more than a century and a half, was to fail because of Oman’s spirited resistance and the election of Imam Nasir bin Murshid to the Imamate in 1624 AD.

The Portuguese possessions in India suffered tremendously from the Omani strikes. Portuguese and Omanis engaged in bloody battles for the control of East Africa, until the entire East African shore from Mombassa to Kilwa fell under Omani control. In 1698 AD the Omanis conquered Mombassa and then entered Pemba, Zanzibar and Patta, Mozambique was the only country that resisted the Omani Arab fleet, and it stayed under Portuguese control until the twentieth century.

Despite repeated attempts from 1737-1744 AD, the Persian invasions were not to achieve their objective of subduing Oman because of the valiant resistance put up by the Omanis. Oman’s heroic resistance staved off the Persian invasion in that period and their ultimate victory is owing to the leadership of Ahmed bin Said Al-Busaidi who succeeded in ousting the Persians from Oman and was elected Imam in 1744 AD,

In 1970 His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Crowning Glory of Oman, inaugurated the renaissance and modern age of Oman

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Kuwait Towers...

Kuwait Towers-Before © Adel Abdeen, originally uploaded by Earth Hour Global.

The Kuwait Towers are three towers of reinforced concrete in Kuwait City. The main tower is 187 metres high and serves as a restaurant and water tower. It also has a Viewing Sphere which rises to 123 meters above sea level and completes a full turn every 30 minutes. The second tower is 145.8 metres high and serves as a water tower. The third tower houses equipment to control the flow of electricity and illuminates the two larger towers. The towers hold 4,500 cubic meters of water. The towers were designed by Sune Lindström and Malene Björn and were built by Energoprojekt, a company from Belgrade, Yugoslavia. They opened to the public in March of 1979. The towers were heavily damaged by the Iraqis during their occupation of Kuwait from 1990 to 1991. In 1992, after the liberation of Kuwait City during the First Gulf War, Vic Clarke of Nottingham UK abseiled the Kuwait Water Towers during structural surveys. Mr. Clarke was introduced into Kuwait by Mr. Michael Stewart, of the Stewart Group International, also from Nottingham UK. There was substantial shell and bullet damage to the towers' exteriors. The interior damage was mainly to electrical gear, mostly lift equipment. Some of the large triangular glazed panels shown in the photograph were also damaged by shell fire.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler